Photo by David Leong
Clay-Chalkville defensive lineman Randal Cole (0) and Patrick Smith (6) celebrate a fumble recovery during a game between Clay-Chalkville and Thompson on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala.
Who knew a non-region week could be so entertaining?
The midway point of the season is often reserved for a boring game or an open date. But that certainly wasn’t the case for several of our local teams.
The Under the Lights Game of the Week maybe wasn’t quite the instant classic that so many have been to this point, but Mountain Brook and Homewood played a competitive rivalry game.
The Spartans ended up with a 27-22 win after Homewood rallied from a 20-3 deficit to make it compelling at the end. Homewood had its chances, particularly at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half, but the Patriots’ biggest test to date turned into their first loss.
Both teams will return to region play no worse for the wear this upcoming week.
Briarwood finally had something go its way. The Lions’ 31-14 win over Class 5A No.4 Leeds seemed somewhat cathartic. It’s been a rough start for Briarwood, with five straight losses to begin the season. But star player Luke Reynolds returned and he made his presence known in a major way in the second half, scoring three touchdowns to push the Lions across the finish line on top for the first time. The playoffs still aren’t entirely out of the question for these Lions.
Can it really be called an upset if it happens in consecutive years? Clay-Chalkville walked into Warrior Stadium and emerged with a 14-13 overtime victory. The game was a polar opposite of last year’s 36-33 thriller, but the Cougars proved they could dominate on the defensive side of the ball as well, with the score tied at 7-7 at the end of regulation. The upper echelon of Class 6A is stacked, and Clay belongs firmly in that category.
Parker is one of those top-end 6A teams and looked the part, beating Hoover 14-10 on Friday. The Parker defense was lights out, particularly in the second half, holding Hoover to negative yardage. Hoover had been playing well over the last three weeks, so the Bucs will look to get the offense back on track this week in their return to region play.
Spain Park is another one of those prevalent 6A squads, as the Jags notched their third win over a 7A foe this year with a 34-24 win at James Clemens. The Jags rallied from an early two-touchdown deficit and remained unbeaten in the process. Quarterback Brock Bradley and receiver Corey Barber have been the prevalent stars much of the first half of the season, but last week it was running back Dakarai Shanks leading the way for the Jags.
Chelsea may not quite be in that same category yet, but the Hornets are 5-0 after a dominant win over Paul Bryant. This Hornets gets back home this week with an opportunity to get to 6-0 before the big showdown with Spain Park.
John Carroll also notched its second win of the year, beating Montevallo 27-7 on Friday night. I’m not sure if that was the plan entering the game, but it turned into the John Ford show. Ford toted the ball 41 times, racking up 214 yards and four touchdowns.
We’re back into region play this week. Watch the podcast to find out where the Game of the Week will be.
Be sure to follow Under the Lights on social media and sign up for the Saturday morning newsletter to have all of the weekend’s coverage sent directly to your inbox, all in one place.
Also, subscribe to the Under the Lights podcast presented by SYNLawn Alabama on YouTube, to be the first to know where we’ll be headed for our Game of the Week this Friday.
Here’s an early look at the Week 7 slate:
- Briarwood at Corner
- Chelsea vs. Chilton County
- Mountain Brook at Clay-Chalkville
- Hewitt-Trussville at Thompson
- Homewood vs. Gardendale
- Oak Mountain at Hoover
- John Carroll vs. Wenonah
- Spain Park at Pelham
- Vestavia Hills at Prattville
This is a weekly column from sports editor Kyle Parmley. Follow him on X at @KyleParmley.
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